Tales of Old
by rarmaster
Summary: 4 young children from Rougeport with vivid imaginations are caught up with the tales of an old storyteller and uncover the legend behind the thousand year door. better than the summary sounds! check inside for more details
1. the Fearsome Demon

I have to say really quick, "oh my gosh this is the shortest chapter i have ever written in my entire life!" anyways, appoligies for the short chapter, but i'm doing this by each of the tales this storyteller has, and I don't have much to go off of for the begining. i promise that these chapters will get better as time goes on

in all honesty, there actually _is_ a story teller somewhere on the rooftops of eastern rougeport, and he does tell all these tales for a mere five coins a tale. Of course, to hear all of these tales, you need 80 coins (best 80 coins i've ever spent!). But if you don't have Paper Mario: the Thousand Year Door or 80 coins in that game, keep reading because I have copied them down word for word. I have also elaborated on these tales a bit. in fact, almost everything that is (or will be) in _italics_ during this story is the elaboration of these tales in the eyes of a few little rougeport kids (so far though, only one, more will be added later)

anyways, i don't think i'll have any more authors notes throughout this story, so you should be able to read from here without any rude interuptions from me. (i make no promises though)

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Somewhere on the rooftops of the east side of Rougeport there is an old storyteller that will tell you a few interesting tales for a mere five coins. It was one day that young Timothy Toad went up there, for the shear thrill of exploring. He stumbled across this old story teller who said to him:

"Hello there good sir! Would you like to hear a tale I have to tell? It will only cost a mere five coins"

Tim had always loved a good story, and happened to have five coins to spare. "Okay" he said, handing over the five coins. The storyteller took them gratefully, and then began his tale.

"Ages ago, a city flourished here in peace in splendor, but it was destroyed in a single day by a demon from the dark beyond."

Tim was caught up in the tale quickly and could easily imagine it. A beautiful city, only to be destroyed by a dark demon…

"Historians claim a great calamity befell the city, but nay... 'twas the demon. The city sank below ground, and one-quarter of the old city became the demon's den."

_The sky was dark, and the demon towered high above all. With one wave of its mighty fist, the city started sinking. The ground was shaking, people were running and screaming. The demon destroyed all who dared approach it. Once the city was completely buried, leaving nothing but flat ground in its place, the demon disappeared down into its depths to create its home._

"This demon put fear into the hearts of all men and sent out minions to take the land."

_It was there, in every good man's heart, a shadow. A fear. A fear of the demon. Its minions roamed the lands, doing no good everywhere. If you were smart, you stayed inside, lest you be devoured by these fell beasts._

"And its den, its palace, grew rich with the treasures stolen from all over the world."

_Heaps and heaps of treasure, of gold and gems and jewels, scattered throughout the demon's den. It was only these magnificent things that lit up the palace, for otherwise it was a dark and dreary place._

Tim was brought abruptly out of his daydream when the storyteller continued to tell no more of this tale. "Is that the entire thing?" Tim asked angrily, starting to think he had just wasted five coins.

"Not if you have another five coins" the storyteller said


	2. the Crystal Stars

Tim sighed, the only five coins he had was supposed to be his lunch money. But he couldn't miss a good story like this. He grudgingly handed over another five coins.

"In order to increase its already formidable power the demon created Crystal Stars to hold the essence of the heavens."

He was caught up in the story again. _Seven shining stars, each a different color. Diamond, Emerald, Gold, Ruby, Sapphire, Garnet, and Crystal. But they were the demons, and the demon's only… the star treasure of its hoard. They outshone all of the rest of the treasures it held._

"One of these stars was placed in each country to exert the demon's influence."

_They were scattered throughout the land, each with a fierce beauty. They gave off terrible feelings. They spread fear of the demon._

"One of these castles built to contain these stars still stands near Petal Meadows"

Tim knew the tale ended there, and was now out of money.

"Five more coins and I shall continue the tale" the storyteller said.

"Sorry," Tim replied "I'm out of money" he got up, then turned back to the storyteller, "I will be back though! I promise!" and with that the young Toad was off.

After safely getting off the roof Tim decided what to do now. He had no money to go get lunch, and wasn't really hungry either. He also had no place to go get more money.

But the young Toad's mind was filled with tales of ancient cities and demons. It got him thinking. 'What if the tales are actually real, and there _is_ a city beneath my feet?' he thought, and then got an idea "I'll go ask Jenny" he said to himself, and then went to go find her.

Jenny was a Goomba, and one of Tim's few friends. She had great knowledge of Rougeport and its surrounding areas, not to mention a good idea of how to deal with the baddies.

Tim found her at the Inn, talking to a few people. He waited until she was done (which took quite some time) and then went over to her.

"Hi Jenny!" he said

"Oh, hi Tim" she replied

He started to ask her about the city that might be beneath their feet, then thought better of it. There was something else the old storyteller had said, something about Petal Meadows. "Do you know how to get to Petal Meadows?" he asked instead.

Jenny stared at Tim with an odd expression as she processed the question he just asked.

"Yeah" she said after a moment "there's a warp pipe leading to it somewhere down in Rougeport Sewers. I can help you find it if you want."

"Can you? That would be great!"

Tim was really excited about the entire thing, and followed Jenny eagerly as she led him to a warp pipe. "This goes down to the sewers" she explained "you go first."

Tim didn't even notice how nervous Jenny was about the entire idea of going down to the sewers, and hopped in the warp pipe. He found himself in the sewers quickly, only to realize that the sewers weren't really the sewers. It looked like something that could have once been a great city.

"I don't come down here often" Jenny said from behind him "but umm, if you want the pipe to Petal Meadows, it's over there." She pointed the direction to go in.

"Thanks!" Tim said, heading off in that direction. He continued through the sewers, trying to imagine what it would have all looked like as the city it once was. After heading through an archway, he found a room that had something of a lake in it.

He spotted the warp pipe across the water and a few platforms leading to it. Finding that there was no other way to reach it, Tim hopped across the platforms to the pipe and jumped in.

Tim found himself in a flowery meadow, with a few trees behind him. 'Can't be far' he thought, starting forward. Before long, he spotted it out in the distance. A large castle. A grin spread across his face.


	3. Dragons and Dungeons

correction, this is the shortest chapter i have ever written

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Tim had gone exploring the sewers, finding there was more there than he could possibly imagine. It had definitely been the old city only it had fallen to ruins because of the demon. The only thing Tim couldn't find though, was the demon's den.

He sat down and recalled the most recent part of the tale the storyteller had told him earlier. "The demon built a dungeon near its palace and filled it with terrifying monsters. All those who fell into disfavor were thrown into this dungeon to rot…"

_Large, it had to be. The monsters scared all to the bone. No, they scared all deeper than that, the scared you right down to the soul. Even poor peasants who did nothing more than have a small glimmer of hope were taken away and tossed down into it, never seen again…_

"Yea, and the demon also had three dragon pets: Hooktail, Gloomtail, and Bonetail. These dragons flew across the land, spreading fear and sorrow over all."

_Each of them was a fearsome beast, ready to devour and destroy. They made many widows, and ruined families. Many were made homeless, fatherless, friendless. If you happened to stray across its path… oh, to even think of the horrors. You would most likely be eaten, or taken to the dragon's resting spot until it decided it wanted another snack._

_The dragons ruled both ground and sky, and were feared by all. No one dared go out at night, or stray far from home in the day. They were always there, those dragons, just waiting. Waiting for its next snack to just wander by._

_Dark times they were. Dark times._

"Even now, the mere mention of a dragon is enough to give some the terrors..."

Tim decided maybe he would explore the sewers a bit more, or at least find a few more coins so he could hear more of the tale.


	4. the Hero Who Arose

"One day, there came a hero who could vanquish the fell demon. The young Toad from Petal Meadows was strong of arm, but shy of voice."

It was just after he had listened to one of the tales that we find Tim back in the alleys of Rougeport, acting as if he was the Hero the storyteller spoke of. A strong and brave Toad, with an odd voice. It didn't sound much like him, but one could pretend.

"All those around the boy teased him endlessly about the way he spoke. But when the demon cast his fearful gaze across the lands and reached out, the young Toad used strength and honor to defend his people and he became a hero to all, despite his odd voice."

_That was him, Tim the brave Toad, who saved his people from the demon and its monsters. The monsters stood no chance against him._

"_Get back!" he called to the crowd behind him, fighting off the next crowd of monsters. Then to the monsters he shouted "back I say! Back!"_

_It was with that that the monsters left, and the demon turned its attention elsewhere._

"_You did it!" the crowd cried "thank you Tim! You saved us! You're a Hero! Thank you! You've saved us all! You're a Hero!"_

_Cries such as these continued, and he did his best not to take all the glory, for it was only the beginning of adventures yet to come._

"_The_re you are Tim!"

Tim turned, as the voice pulled him out of his daydreams. Jenny stood there, looking not so happy. "I've been looking for you for ages!" she continued "is this where you've been disappearing off to all these days? You're sitting back here in an alley!"

"I'm not sitting!" Tim said

"Then what are you doing?"

Tim thought about that himself for a bit, before saying: "Hey, you like a good story don't you? Especially a good history tale, you wanna come hear a good story?"

"Okay…" Jenny replied slowly

"But first things first, do you happen to have five coins?"

"Why would I need five coins?" she asked, but Tim wasn't listening anymore. He started heading off towards where the storyteller was, Jenny at his heels.

"You see," he was saying "there's this ancient tale of a city that once stood here. But the city was destroyed in a single day by a demon, who made it sink beneath the ground and used a quarter of it as its den. Its den was filled with stolen treasures, and out of its treasures, the most beautiful of them all, were the Crystal Stars. They were cast throughout the land, spreading fear of this demon"

They had reached the crates that formed a staircase up to the roof tops, and he was already halfway up. Jenny was still at the bottom, trying to decide if she should just ditch him now or follow him. Tim continued the story.

"The demon also had three dragon pets, that spread fear and sorrow throughout the lands. They destroyed whole villages. There was also a dungeon that the demon filled with terrifying monsters, and any who angered it were thrown in there to rot."

He was doing his best to sum it all up as he ran across the last few rooftops. "But then a hero arose, and he could get rid of the demon. He was a young Toad from Petal Meadows, who had a strong arm, but a shy voice. But he proved his heroism when the demon tried to attack his village, and he saved them!" Tim turned back around to look at Jenny, who was giving him an odd look.

"Don't you see? If this tale was real, I'd be that Toad! I think the next story's gonna interest you, but it's only a guess. But listen to it at least."

"Alright" she said, rolling her eyes "but this better be worth it!"


	5. the Wise Goomba

Jenny frowned as Tim talked to the old man, which she assumed was the storyteller he spoke of and handed over the five coins when she was asked. 'I'll just listen to this story to make Tim happy, then tell him that it was great and ask him nicely to snap back into the real world' she thought. But then the storyteller started telling his tale, and she couldn't help but get caught up in it.

"There was a wise Goomba from Boggly Woods gifted in knowledge of the world."

There was just something about the way he said it, that made the story sound so real.

"When beasts rose to take the woods, this knowledge helped the people fight them."

_Yes, the people of Boggly Woods, with help from the Goomba, were able to defeat the beasts that threatened to knock down their doors. They fought the beasts until the woods were free of them. The Goomba was thanked tremendously._

"And the Goomba, who knew the way that every monster would attack, she began to think of a way to banish all monsters from the land..."

_Yes, that was her, sitting there, with great knowledge, ready to get rid of all the monsters. Rid the land of them, get rid of them all…_

The tale ended there. Jenny was pulled out of dreamland abruptly and she turned to glare at the storyteller. "That's all of it?" she asked "this was so not worth the five coins!"

"Nonononono!" Tim said, doing his best not to laugh "this is only part of the tale! There's more! And we can hear it if we have more coins. Of course, I'm out of money. My allowance has been cut a bit short and Larry's back in town so I don't have to water his plants anymore. Do you happen to have any more money?"

"No!" Jenny said "not any I can spend on this anyways; I'm still saving up to buy that book I really wanted for Christmas but didn't get."

"I can pay you back!" Tim said quickly "I'm starting a new job tomorrow that should pay well, I'll pay you back then!"

"I don't even have the money with me" Jenny said "look, meet me at the Inn after you get paid and we'll come back up here and listen to another story. I've got work to do." With those as her final words, she was off before Tim could argue any more.

Sighing, Tim also headed off to go get some more money. He had heard of a nice job that someone down in the sewers was offering, and needed to get down there before someone else claimed it. Also, it gave him a nice excuse to go explore some more.


	6. the Stalwart Koopa

Two young friends, Karl the Koopa and Belle the Boo, were extremely bored and playing hide and seek. I know, sounds crazy, but that's what they were doing. Karl was hiding on top of a wall, crammed between two houses while Belle was searching for him. His concentration on sitting still and remaining very quiet was thrown out the window though when his ears caught a few words that sparked his attention.

"A Koopa who travelled the world alone learned of the darkness covering the land. He went alone wherever evil dwelt and banished it with shell and sheer bravado."

He could see it, a brave koopa…

"The monsters grew to fear this scar-riddled Koopa who thwarted them at every turn."

_Walking through the land, unharmed, because the monsters feared him. They dared even approach him, fearing that he would just strike them down again. He was free to explore, despite the evil that lurked around every corner. The monsters merely turned and fled at the sight of him._

"But the brave Koopa was finally taken in a trap set for him by the monsters."

_Everyone was caught eventually, and here he was, he had walked right into it. 'A hundred coins this way!' the sign had said, and he believed it. "Idiot" he told himself. He was now stuck in a dark and dreary cage, with nothing but the lone, dying, flame on the other side of the room to comfort him._

"But then, a Boo who fought with the monsters came and used her magic to free him."

_There she was! The Boo had fought him in the front lines. She was probably here now to torment him and laugh, torture him for the rest of his life, but no… what was she doing now? He cringed back as she started to use her magic, but was shocked to find that she merely used it to break the bars of the cage._

"_Hurry!" she said "we don't have much time!"_

_With that, the two of them began to head to a safer spot in the castle._

"The brave Koopa's spirit melted the heart of the cold Boo lass..."

"That's a bad way to end a story" Belle said from next to him "it doesn't even sound like an ending! Who's telling this story anyways? I want to go knock some sense into him!"

"Want to go find out?" Karl asked "he should be right above us"

"Oh, I don't want to have to carry you" she whined. But never the less she picked up the Koopa and floated up to the rooftops above them, and then dropped him quickly. They were greeted by three people. An old man, a Toad, and a Goomba.

While the Toad and Goomba were shocked by the sudden arrival of the two new people, the old man merely said: "another five coins and I shall continue the story."

Before anyone else could say anything, Belle pulled out five coins and handed them to the storyteller. "Yes please!"

"Hang on, hang on!" the Toad said "you don't know what's going on! You don't know about the demon, or the dragons, or-"

"Shush Tim!" the Goomba said, glaring at the Toad

"I can tell the tale from the beginning if you like" the storyteller said

"Okay" Belle said, and the storyteller began to do just so.


	7. the Four Heroes

After listening to the first three tales that set up the setting of the story, they finally got around to doing introductions. Tim was the first to introduce himself.

"In this story, there is a brave Toad who is 'strong of arm, but shy of voice'. I guess, in this story, that Toad would be me. He, uhh, I, I guess, defended h-my people from the demon and its monsters. My name is Tim."

"I'm Jenny" Jenny said "and, since Tim decided to do it, I'm the wise Goomba, who had 'knowledge of the lands' and 'knew how every enemy would attack'. I helped the people of Boggly Woods fight the beasts when they arose."

"If this story was us, right here right now," Karl said "then I'd be the brave, scar-riddled Koopa who 'banished evil with shell and sheer bravado'. Yeah," he smiled, seeming to like the idea a ton, "The monsters feared me, Karl the brave Koopa."

Belle was the last to introduce herself "I'm Belle, and I'm the Boo who saved Karl here when he was an idiot and walked right into a trap." She said no more than that, and felt odd having nothing more to say.

Jenny nodded and handed five coins over to the storyteller "can we hear about the four heroes now?" she asked.

The storyteller smiled and began his tale. "The Boo used her powerful magic to learn more about the evil they faced. 'We cannot destroy this darkness alone' she decided, her face a grim mask."

_There they were, brave Koopa and Boo heroine, discussing what to do next. He waited patiently while she found out what they were up against. It took her a while, but then she finally said: "We cannot do this alone. The darkness is to powerful."_

"'We need the Toad hero of Petal Meadows and the wise Goomba of Boggly Woods.' The Boo's magic drew the four heroes together to send the demon from the world."

"_Yes, now, to find them…" she closed her eyes, and focused hard. The magic was so thick in the air you could taste it. It soon left the room, and spread out across the lands, searching… _

_It drew them all together, and they all knew their destiny._

"And so, the four heroes finally set out to the Palace of Shadow..."

Tim thought of something suddenly "hey, anyone want to go look for the Palace of Shadow?"

The other three gave him odd looks.

"Down in Rougeport Sewers! It's not really sewers, it's the ruins of the old city!" he was talking fast now, definitely excited by the entire thing. "Come on!" Tim was already up and running back across the roofs.

The other three all followed after him.

They caught up to Tim just as he started heading down into the sewers. "Come on!" he called, hopping down into the warp pipe. Jenny, Karl, and Belle really had no choice but to follow him.

"Come on!" Tim called, running deeper into the sewers, he finally stopped in something that looked a lot like it could have been a town square. "You see!" he called as his friends caught up with him. "Doesn't this just _scream_ old-ruined-used-to-be-amazing-city town square?" he asked them.

"Umm yeah, it kind of does" Jenny admitted, looking around.

"Can we go explore some more?" Belle asked "I noticed quite a few passageways and warp pipes on our way here that might be worth checking out."

Tim had chosen this moment to check his watch and frowned. "As much as I'd love to… I can't, I have to be home for dinner or my mom will kill me."

"I technically have stuff I need to do too" Jenny said

"Well, you guys can go" Belle said "we might hang out a while."

"We'll meet you guys tomorrow at the Inn and we'll finish the story, okay?" Tim asked

"Right!" Belle said

"Got it!" Karl said

And with that, the four 'heroes' disbanded, promising to pick up their adventure the next day.


	8. the Duel with the Demon

The power of the world-devouring demon was more powerful than any could imagine, but the wise Goomba soon realized that this was the power of the Crystal Stars. She thought of a way to take the stars and use them against the demon. She told the other heroes her plan and set it in motion, banishing their fears. The Boo's magic and the Toad's strength created a gap in the demon's defenses. At that moment, the brave Koopa seized the stars and succeeded in badly damaging the demon...

"Here it is" Belle said proudly, showing them all the room she had found.

"No way…" was all that Tim said as he entered the room. It was large and the ceiling was high. There was a large door over to one side, towering above them all. It was a reddish color and pictured seven stars on its borders.

"The Crystal Stars" Jenny whispered, looking at the door.

"I say this is the perfect place to stage the battle with the demon" Karl said, a grin on his face.

"It may not be the actual place where the battle was fought, but it sure is close to it" Belle added

"It's wonderful!" Tim cried

_There it was, the demon, fierce as ever. Its power was amazing, but the four Heroes stood strong. They fought hard against the demon, and it fought hard back. It was soon that they started realizing that it was invincible, and their attacks were doing nothing to it._

_"This won't work!" Tim cried "its defenses are too strong!"_

_"There's nothing we can do!" Karl said "and I'm not usually one to say that"_

_"It's just using the power of the Crystal Stars!" Jenny said "if there was a way we could use them against the demon…"_

_Belle grabbed the Tim and Karl and shielded them from one of the demon's attacks, then called over to Jenny. "You're the brains! Think of something!"_

_"I'm trying!" Jenny called back_

_The other three heroes let her be and continued to avoid the demon's attacks. It was laughing at them now, laughing because they could do nothing at all._

_One of its attacks nearly killed Karl, but he was able to get out of the way in time._

_Another attack nearly killed Tim, but he was able to avoid it. Just barely though._

_Yet another attack nearly got Belle, but she used her magic to deflect the demon's own magic. She then sent its own magic attack back at the demon, hoping maybe to do it some damage._

_"I've got it!" Jenny called finally "there's a way we can use the Crystal Stars against the demon!" All hopes sky rocketed at this point, and they all gathered around to hear her plan._

_With that, the fight went on. Tim used his strength to reveal a weak point of the demon's and Belle used her magic to hold back its defenses._

_"Now Karl!" Jenny cried._

_Brave Karl Koopa took this moment to grab the Crystal Stars. Now that the source of its power was gone, the demon was weakened greatly. The Four Heroes now went into all out attack mode, and fought the demon fiercely._

_Within no time at all, they had damaged the demon terribly._

_But the fight wasn't done yet…_


	9. the Demon Sealed within

But even the brave Koopa's stroke was not enough to end the demon's reign. The Wise Goomba thought of another use for the Crystal Stars in that dire hour. She suggested sealing the demon forever with the Crystal Stars. All agreed. The heroes matched their strengths with the power of the Crystal Stars and they successfully sealed the demon's soul within the deepest part of the palace. Together they made it out so that only all seven stars could break the seal.

_It wasn't enough. Even using the Crystal Stars, the demon's very own weapons, the heroes were unable to truly defeat it. It was gaining strength again, and would soon wipe them heroes out, and all their work would go in vain._

_"I have another idea!" Jenny cried "we can use the Crystal Stars to seal the demon here forever!"_

_Everyone else thought this was a great idea._

_The heroes combined their power with that of the Crystal Stars. Tim had his strength. Jenny had her knowledge. Karl had his bravery. And Belle had her magic. Their powers combined with that of the Crystal Stars, they were able to seal the demon's soul deep within the Palace of Shadow._

_They then made it so that only all of the stars together could break the seal._

_Seven shining Crystal Stars sealed the door leading to the demon's den._

"So…" Karl said "is that the end of the story?"

Tim shook his head "we've still got to find out what happens to the heroes afterwards. There should at least be an epilogue, telling about happy endings and such."

"I've got five coins" Jenny said "let's go finish this tale!"

The four friends all agreed on this idea, and headed off to find the story teller again.


	10. the Demon's Curse

Jenny handed over the five coins to the storyteller. This time though, he didn't begin his story with a grin, there was a sad look upon his face.

"The four heroes thought they had sealed away the demon and all of its power, but the demon used a tiny opening before the seal was complete to curse them all."

The four friends looked at each other upon hearing this, but let the storyteller continue his tale.

"While holding the Crystal Stars, they felt nothing, but when they let them go a black box would appear to seal their souls within. The four heroes travelled the world, scattering the stars so the seal would remain."

_The four heroes, brave and strong and bold and mighty, traversing the lands, scattering the stars to protect them from evil. The seal would last now. With the stars scattered so far apart no one would be able to break it._

"But the last four stars each carried the curse, which claimed each hero..."

The tale ended here, leaving Tim with a very unhappy look on his face.

"It's not done" he muttered, sitting down, "it's not over."

"Yeah, so" Jenny said "but that's good, isn't it? Just yesterday you were worrying about what you were going to do when the tale was over. Said you'd be bored."

"Yeah, but that was before I found out…"

"Found out what?" Karl asked

Tim sighed, and looked at his friends with a grim look on his face "this is my last day in Rougeport" he said.

"What? Since when?" Jenny asked

"My parents finally got enough money to move. We're leaving tonight, all our stuff's already on the boat."

"But that means…" Belle said

"There's no likely possibility of me coming back anytime soon. You're going to have to finish the story without me"

"But you're the strong Toad! We can't continue without you!" Karl said

"It's either that or we put this entire thing on hold for a few years until I can come back" Tim replied "there's no way my parents are going to let me return in a few months, it costs a lot of money to get a boat ride here and back, I'd have to save up for years. Just continue without me."

His three friends looked at him sadly, unsure of what to say.

"Hey," Jenny said after a moment "you just got that Mailbox SP from your uncle, right?"

Tim nodded

"We'll email you" she said "we can keep this going over email"

"It's not the same…" Tim muttered


	11. the Great Tree and Punies

"See you!" Jenny called

"Yeah" Tim replied from the boat. Belle and Karl had already said their goodbyes and now it was only Jenny who was left.

Tim had insisted on them not doing the entire thing over email, because he wanted to hear the stories as the storyteller told them, because reading just wasn't the same.

Jenny watched as the boat left the dock, and then decided what to do. She had five coins on her, so she decided to go find the storyteller and find out what happened to the wise Goomba.

"The hiding places of many of the crystal stars have now faded into legend but some say that the wise Goomba hid one in the Great Tree."

_The Great Tree was the tallest in the Boggly Woods and probably the oldest. Its bark was black, and its leaves were white, like all the trees in those Woods were._

"At that time, many monsters wandered in the nearby Boggly Woods. The tiny Punies were always tormented by their fierce appetites, it was said. Pitying them, the Goomba hollowed out the Great Tree for the Punies to live in."

_She noticed that the Punies were being bullied, always, and it wasn't fair. 'I'll hollow out the Great Tree!' she thought, and then proceeded with this plan._

_It took a while, but before long the tree was habitable and the Punies moved in, thanking the Goomba for her wisdom._

"The Punies were so grateful they swore to protect the Crystal Star there..."

_They were so grateful that they even agreed to protect the Crystal Star. The Goomba had already prepared a place for the Star to go, and she agreed to let them._

'_The Stars need to be protected, so the seal will remain' she told herself. But she did not know what her fate was, and soon found out._

_A black box appeared to take her soul._

A heaviness weighing on her heart, some from Tim's departure, and some from hearing this sad tale, Jenny thanked the storyteller and left. 'Maybe' she thought 'there's something down in the sewers… just waiting to be found.'

Having decided where to go next, Jenny headed down into the sewers. She ran into it on her way to the Door, by mistake if anything, but there it was. A black chest.

She approached it carefully, and the closer she got, the more she knew, that this chest held the soul of the Wise Goomba. After all this time, she had told Tim that she didn't believe that this tale was real, actual history, something that did happen. But here was the proof, staring her in the face.

Slowly, Jenny pulled out her own Mailbox SP and sent an email to Tim. "I believe you" she said "this tale actually is real."

The response came quickly, as if Tim had just been waiting for someone to email him. "Took you long enough" he said.

Jenny smiled, and put her Mailbox SP away, and then a thought occurred to her. 'If she left the Star in Boggly Woods, then why is the chest here?' Jenny pondered this thought for a moment 'maybe there's an entrance to Boggly Woods around here somewhere…'

She went looking for it immediately and was surprised when she ran across a little Puni. It looked at her, and then smiled. "Follow me!" it said, before darting off. Curious, Jenny followed.

Jenny found herself inside the Great Tree within no time, and spent quite a while exploring it. Half of the heaviness in her heart was eased, but now she wished there was something she could do to help Tim out.


	12. the Boo Heroine's Last Days

correction again, _this_ is the shortest chapter I have ever written. though it technically my fault that this tale is only two sentences long

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Belle, one day, got curious of whatever happened to the Boo from the story. Five coins at hand, she went to go find out.

"Once the Boo heroine hid her star in a steeple she was trapped in the nearby town. Some say the Crystal Star lies in that steeple still."

Once again, Belle was unimpressed about the storyteller's lack of elaboration. Ignoring that, she went to go find this town and this steeple. She asked around town for a bit and then got a good lead. There was a warp pipe down in Rougeport sewers that lead to this town, called Twilight Town.

Without further ado, Belle was off to go find it.

And she did find it. The town was dark and dreary, and was stuck in perpetual twilight. There was no night, no day, no sun, just one big eerie moon. Belle decided instantly that she didn't really like the town and left.


	13. the Pirate King Cortez

Karl was also curious about what happened to the scar-riddled Koopa from the story, and went to go find out.

"The Koopa hero went to a southern isle to hide his star where none would find it."

_There he was, brave Koopa, sailing the seas to some deserted isle. It would be there that he would hide his Crystal Star, and no one would be able to find it. Not ever._

"But the Koopa was so tired from his journey that the pirate Cortez stole it easily."

_The evil pirate Cortez, he came by and looted the poor Koopa, who was unable to fight back. The only thing the Koopa had to be looted though, was the Crystal Star…_

"In that very instant, the Koopa was trapped in an inescapaple chest."

_Whap! It was quick, it didn't take any time at all. One moment, he was standing there, and the next, he was trapped. Trapped again, but this time, with no way out. The chest was a curse from the demon itself, and it had trapped him here forever._

"But Cortez did not realize the power of the star and lost it among his treasures..."

_Even the fate of the Crystal Star wasn't good. But at least Cortez would never willingly give up his treasure, and he was the bravest pirate of the seas. The Koopa had heard tales of him._

_He had left the star forgotten though, and though it was the prize of his treasure hoard, he never looked upon it, and soon became unimportant._

'_Maybe for the best though' the Koopa thought to himself_

_But the Koopa didn't have it to good either. The chest that held him was forgotten also, somewhere in the depths of the pirate's ship. Or maybe it was forgotten in the pirate's grotto. He couldn't tell, he couldn't see outside of the blasted box._

Karl felt sorry for the poor Koopa, and decided maybe he would go and try to find this box that held him. But he would have to stowaway on the next ship to this isle. He would never be able to get enough money.

He asked around, so he knew what ship he would have to stowaway upon, he didn't want to spend days on a ship headed in the wrong direction. He found that the isle was called Keyhaul Key, but no one ever dared travel there, because of the curse of Cortez.

Slightly depressed, but definitely not brokenhearted or defeated, vowed that one day he would reach Keyhaul Key. Somehow…


	14. the Toad Hero's Final Days

After five years…

"Jenny, Belle, Karl, you'll never guess what!" Tim wrote in an email "I'm finally headed back for Rougeport! It's been a long five years, and all I've been thinking about is being able to listen to the last of the tales from that storyteller, if he's still around. I sure hope he is…

Anyways, since it has been five years, I don't honestly expect us to continue playing games of these tales like we did when we were kids. So you don't have to go and pretend just to make me happy. I wouldn't mind visiting some of those places mentioned though, if it's possible. And I would be thrilled if you guys would come with me.

I'm sailing alone, besides the driver of course, my parents couldn't afford to come, but couldn't stop me from coming either. I should be arriving later today, or early tomorrow. Can't wait to see you guys

Love from Tim, the Toad, strong of voice but shy of arm"

His ship pulled into the dock, and Tim breathed in the heavy scent of Rougeport. It was stinky, but it was home. He was home at last. He spotted his three friends waiting there for him and grinned.

"Finally back!" he called joyfully, jumping onto the dock.

"Oh my gosh! Tim!" Jenny said "have you grown!"

"Maybe a bit" Tim replied

"I don't think he looks different" Belle said

"How's life been for you?" Karl asked "see anything exciting? Do anything exciting?"

"Not really" Tim said "what about you?"

"I visited Boggly Woods" Jenny said

"I went to Twilight Town, not really worth your time though" Belle said "Don't bother going."

Tim laughed at this, and turned to Karl "what about you? You go anywhere?"

"Still waiting for a ship to take me to Keyhaul Key" he said

"I've got my sights set on Petal Meadows at the moment. I want to see where the Toad Hero came from for real, and maybe check out the Castle that hung around nearby" Tim told them

"If you ever want to head up to Creepy Steeple" Belle said "I wouldn't mind coming with you. It's the only exciting about Twilight Town. Got a few nice Boos hanging around."

"I'll probably have to take you to Boggly Woods" Jenny told Tim "the Punies there know me, and you need a Puni to get access to the warp pipe."

"Man, I've got so much ahead of me!" Tim laughed "but first things first. I need to go see the story teller. I've got a story to finish."

His three friends laughed nervously at that. "Yeah…" Karl said "about that… we kind of already finished it without you. You don't mind right?"

Tim shook his head "I would have felt terrible if you had spent five years waiting for me just to finish some stupid story. Don't tell me about the ending though, I want to hear for myself."

Tim's friends nodded, and let him go to find the storyteller.

After hearing the story, he headed to Petal Meadows, words still ringing fresh in his mind.

"The strong Toad held his star and continued his arduous journey. But eventually the miles took their toll upon him and he collapsed."

_He was nearing home, but he felt weak. He wouldn't make it. He wouldn't make it._

'_I can't hold on any longer' the Toad thought, before falling to his knees. What a terrible way to die, here on the ground in the middle of nowhere. The star could be taken by anybody who passed by._

"A travelling healer happened by and saved his life but the Toad knew his fate was to be trapped in the box when the star was gone."

"_There you go, all better, ready for journeys yet to come!" the healer said with a grin._

"_Thank you" the Toad said, but the look on his face was grim "but I fear even you cannot save me from my fate." He let out a meek laugh, "all heroes have their enemies, and mine refused to let me live my life in peace…"_

"So he asked the healer to hide the star in a secret place known to no one..."

"_My life will end soon enough, and I fear, even though you have saved me, that I will be unable to complete my task" the Toad's voice was sorrowful. He looked at the healer, and pleaded: "please, if this is to be my last request, I must ask you to take this star, and hide it where no one can find it."_

"_But where can I hide it?" the healer asked_

"_The Castle over there" the Toad replied "no one would dare even go near it, so the star will be safe."_

"_But what of you? What will happen when you no longer have the star?"_

_The Toad shook his head "trust me, you do not want to know."_

_The healer nodded and left the Toad, taking the star with him._

"_HA!" the Toad laughed to the skies "if these are to be my last words, then hear them well demon! I have foiled you! Foiled you even with my dying breath! Trap me in whatever you want, but my job is done!"_

_And with that a black box appeared, and it stole his soul and trapped it inside. But the Toad was content, even if he had to spent the rest of eternity in a crammed box, he would live with the knowledge that the demon was defeated, and would stay that way for ages to come…_


	15. All Becomes Legend

"After the demon was sealed within the Palace of Shadow, many refused to come near that place of terror. But as the years passed, entire generations forgot and the penniless and the immoral began to congregate in this once-barren place."

_There they were: rafts and small ships, sailboats, all of them coming to make a living on land that had no one living on it. Others came from surrounding lands, some on foot even. All coming to make a living in a land that would accept them._

"This place soon became a populous harbor, the town of Rogueport, and some even began to say that the underground city held a legendary treasure."

_And many of the greedy, money searching, folk tried to find it but could not. For the treasure the sought lay beyond the Door, and it was sealed tight._

But they were unaware the demon slept beneath them still..."

Tim thought of those last words of the tale, even though the full story wasn't finished yet. He only had one more tale to hear, but kept putting it off for some reason.

"There you are Tim!" Jenny said as she came up to him.

"Hi Jenny" he said, looking at her.

"Umm, I know you're heading back home soon, and I figured you might want something to do on the long journey" Jenny explained "so I made you this." She handed him a small leather-bound book.

Tim flipped through it and noted that only the first few pages had something written on them. He looked at Jenny again with an inquiring expression, wondering what was up.

"I wrote down all the tales the storyteller told, because I figured that you might want to remember them…" she paused, then sat down next to him "I know you don't think that reading them will be the same, but I figured it would be better than you forgetting them all."

Tim smiled "I doubt I would have forgotten them, but thanks. This is a really great gift."

"Also, the blank pages are for you" Jenny said "I've noticed how throughout your emails you've started to sound like you were telling a story, even though you were only saying 'hi, I haven't talked to you in a while, what's up?' or something like that. So I figured that maybe you could write down some stories of your own."

Tim grinned even wider when he heard this. "Thanks" he said, and then gave his friend a hug "I'll look forward to using it. Now all I need to do is think of something to write."

Jenny smiled at him. "I'm sure you'll think of something" she said "Rougeport is full of tales, and so are you." With that, she left.

And then Tim knew what he was going to write. He flipped to the first open page, grabbed a pen, and began to write his tale.

"Somewhere on the rooftops of the east side of Rougeport there is an old storyteller that will tell you a few interesting tales for a mere five coins…"


	16. the Magical Map

Tim had prolonged his stay so he could finish writing the story, which only took him a day, since he wrote nearly non-stop. He had already heard the last tale from the storyteller and remembered it now as he wrote the final words.

"The heroes knew the seal might not last forever and they sought to make the Crystal Stars available to one who might need them. So, before going to their individual dooms, they made a map to all the stars. And to prevent an evil force from misusing this map they placed it in a box that could only be opened by the pure of heart…"

There was nothing to elaborate on in this tale, so those became the final words of this story. As he closed the book and looked up, only to see a princess in a pink dress walk by. He recognized her immediately. 'What is Princess Peach doing in Rougeport?' he asked himself.

"Finally! I have a minute without Toadsworth watching over me! He's so paranoid!" she said "I come all the way here on holiday…only to be stuck with Toadsworth! It's so stifling!"

Tim kept listening, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Once in a while I'd like to get the chance to look around on my own and see what I want." The Princess said, looking around. She frowned. "But…now that I'm doing it, all I see is that this town has a very…umm…distinct flavor…"

Tim frowned at this comment, he happened to like Rougeport. But this was the Princess, and she probably wasn't used to living anywhere like this.

"Oh missy… missy…" another voice said. Tim turned and noticed a strange cloaked merchant, who had a carpet spread out in front of her and piled up with trinkets. 'When did she get here?' he thought 'she certainly wasn't here earlier. Though, then again, neither was the princess that I remember…'

The Princess gasped and looked around, noticing the merchant. "Do you mean…me?" she asked.

"Yes, you, Missy!" the merchant said "Won't you buy something? I have a wide assortment of knickknacks and doodads!"

"Oh! Well… Umm…" the Princess seemed to be thinking hard about this. Her eyes lit up when she noticed something. "Well that's a pretty box!" she exclaimed "what's inside it?"

The merchant picked up the box in question and replied, "It is said that this box holds a map that shows where a legendary treasure sleeps…"

Tim was taken aback by this, a map? A map to a treasure… and he had just heard about a Magical Map too. A map that lead to the Crystal Stars

"But the box has a magic lock on it that will only open for the pure and noble heart" the merchant said.

"What?" Tim whispered, opening his book and looking at the last words of the tale.

"And to prevent an evil force from misusing this map they placed it in a box that could only be opened by the pure of heart…"

"No way" he whispered. But he realized now, that he wasn't done writing, and he wasn't done in Rougeport either. He waited for the two to stop talking before running to the docks and talking to the captain of his ship.

"Tell my parents that I won't be coming home any time soon. I think I've found a way to make a living here" Tim told the captain with a grin as the ship left the docks. He knew now that the Legend of the Thousand Year Door definitely wasn't finished, and really had merely just begun another chapter.

* * *

one more chapter, and then this story will be done


	17. It All Begins Here

"Ahem! Today..." Tim paused here for dramatic affect "I am going to tell you the story of the Thousand-Year Door.

"An awfully long time ago in a strange and far-off land, a big, bustling town thrived. It was a town where all people lived very happy lives. And it was said that the town was very prosperous.

"But one day… tragedy befell this blessed place. A great cataclysm struck the town and its people. Darkness filled the skies and the earth roared and shook. It was as if the very world had come to a violent end.

"And in but a single night…

"The town sank into the depths of the earth.

"Many moons rose and set. Stories of the town passed into the pages of fairy tales. And when the town's site held no relics of its past, people gathered at that spot and built a new town.

"But word soon spread among the people that moved in, that an ancient city lay deep underground… and that a magnificent treasure rested there.

"Indeed…" Tim smiled at this, but didn't want to ruin this story for all those who had gathered to listen by laughing.

"This is the tale of the fabled treasure of Rougeport. Yes, this is where it begins, in the sea town of Rougeport. The tale of the quest for legendary treasure, and the Thousand-Year Door… starts here."

Of course, if I were to go on and finish the tale that Tim was telling, well, we'd be here a while. Besides, that's not what this story is about, this story was about before all this happened. A thousand years before all this happened.

And how words from a simple storyteller inspired so many

_Words are powerful things_

_With them you can weave stories_

_Stories that draw the reader in_

_And tales that will never be forgotten_

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holy cow. i wrote this story in two days. two days... wow...

anyways, this last chapter is just to really wrap things up, and more of for my own personal reasons. I pondered the idea of Tim writing the story of the thousand year door for a while, and began to like it. So after a few minor changes (including him writing down this story (check previous chapter if you missed that)) and sitting watching a youtube video of the opening to Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door and copying it all down... well... your end result is these final two chapters

umm, that's about it for this story. I kind of enjoyed writing it though. let me know if you ever want more. I think i have a few more stories I can tell, and if not... well, there always is Tim's narration of the Thousand Year Door, and I'm sure that would be fun to write


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